Zutara Harmony Day
by Lauren The Panhead
Summary: Takes place sometime after 'The Western Air Temple'. Not giving too much away right now... just read! "Hate that I love you -The Water Peasant" Rated K plus. Just emo-ness.  Not literally!  Review!


Zutara Week

Cay 5- Harmony

Disclaimer- Do I really have to? Fine. I don't own ATLA or the crappy, stupidly shipped, horrid, barftastic ending scene of the Kataang kiss. Happy now, Mike and Bryan? Oh, wait… I don't actually care! HA!

**Author's Note:** If anyone adds me to their favorite authors, or one of my fics, please let me know in a PM. The e-mail I'm using for my account is NOT checked regularly. (Actually, hardly ever!) Anyways… Gosh, I just love all my awesome reviewers! If I had a cookie, I would _totally_ feel bad for eating it in front of you! I mean… Well, no, actually… I probably wouldn't give it to you… Hmm. I could have thought this out better… oh! This fic is in no way related to any of my other fics! It's supposed to take place sometime after Zuzu (Still no naming him or… 'Tara!) joins the gang. A little drabblish, but still good in my opinion! (Not that anyone cares what _I_ think!)Please review! (If you're a flamer, well… Do you really think that I write all day just to meet your demands? NO! I don't do this for your entertainment!) *Tirade over!*

I'm giving myself this _official_ catchphrase: (Not sure why it's now official, but…) HERE GOES IT!

She swirled around in fluid motions, as her element did the same floating over her head. It was the middle of the night, and the moon in her entirety was watching over the night from her seat in the sky. She was at her most powerful. She twisted and turned along with the water. It was almost as if she were dancing. Yue shined down on the girl's slender form as she trained in the small pond she was standing in. She smiled, feeling the power of the moon… Her element… Herself.

He suddenly realized that he had been watching her train in the glow of the full moon for almost an hour. She just kept on, seeming to hold an endless supply of energy on this particular night. He came out here because he couldn't sleep. Something just kept him wide awake. He couldn't explain it. He saw her dancing around in her element and crouched behind some bushes. He wanted so badly to approach, but found himself unable. She would stop her beautiful dance. Yue's glow was filling her with so much power, so much happiness… He felt almost as though he would be taking that away from her by making her stop her graceful motions. It wasn't his place to take her away from this moment. He just watched from behind the bush. Of course, he should be tired, but watching her made him feel wide awake. He didn't want to miss a second of this. He turned his head away for a moment, basking in her. He sighed. He hadn't meant to, but it was too late now…

"Who's there?" she demanded, though the quake in her voice was less than convincing. He finally stood. "Relax." He put his hands up in that 'I surrender' kind of way. She broke out of her stance. "How long have you been there?" He took a few cautious steps in the Master Waterbender's direction. "A while. I couldn't sleep. When I saw you over here, I just kind of… sat down and watched." She looked confused. "Well, I need to practice." She dryly stated. He bowed his head, taking the hint. "I understand." She glanced appraisingly at him, trying to understand exactly what he meant. He saw the shine in her two vast oceans she called eyes. "Full moon, right?" He smirked a little, knowing he had caught the girl off her guard. "Yeah…" She shook her head. "Sorry. I just didn't think… You being a Firebender and all…" He scoffed. "Are you calling me dumb?" He was now leaning against a nearby tree. She laughed, making his smile double in size. "Maybe I am. What are you going to do about it?" He faked a scowl at her. "Nothing… I'm too tired tonight. Agni Kai tomorrow, though." She laughed, a little louder than she had meant to. "You're on."" She poked a finger to his chest. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. She blushed a slight bit at the situation. "And I'm going to win." It came as a whisper right into her left ear. She pushed him away, playfully. "Sure you are. Walk me back to camp?" He nodded. "Like I'm going to leave you in a dark forest all by yourself." Was his reply. They laughed as she bended the water out of her clothes.

"So… you were just sitting there watching me practice for an hour, but you're too tired for a quick spar?" Her voice was playfully teasing. He scowled a bit at her, but the look fell to the ground the moment he began drowning in those deep blue… "Yup." He blushed and turned away. She sensed something more was going on inside him. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. He stopped two steps ahead, not turning to face her. "What's wrong?" He sighed heavily. Her voice was so smooth and self-assured. It was calming. It always had been. "I dreamt of my mother…"It wasn't totally a lie. He _had_ dreamed of her, which awakened him… but something else was keeping him awake now. She drew in a quick breath and put a caramel hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry…" He shrugged her hand away. It hurt her a little, but she knew it was nothing in comparison to what he was feeling. "My mother… She's gone, too…"

His shoulders tensed. He turned on her. The girl took a step back as she caught sight of the blind fury in his eyes. Steam rushed out through his nostrils and the pain in his amber eyes were enough to break her down. "My mother is not gone. She could still be out there! I still have hope… But, it seems to only disappoint." She sighed. "You do realize that she's probably gone by _now_-?" "You don't know everything, you… you _water_ _peasant_!" He stormed off, only to be followed by that same teary water peasant. "I'm just trying to help! And how dare you! I know _exactly_ what it's like… to have dreams about her! Believe it or not, I _care_! It hurts to see you depressed… I was just trying to… Ugh!" She stomped back over to her little pond and began practicing again, this time extremely sloppy and uncoordinated.

He turned, nostrils still flaring. "I- I'm sorry, okay! It's just… You didn't know her… And I don't want you to care that much about me…" She turned, dropping the freshwater. "What? _Why_-?" Hot tears rolled down his two cheeks, his two complete opposites. "Just… _please_… Don't care. It… makes it harder for me." He turned to leave, but a liquidy extension of her arm grasped his midsection, pulling him unattractively into the pond. "You don't have to _do_ this! Talk to me… _please_… I will never turn my back on people who need me! And, whether you want me to or not, I _care_ how you feel. I always will…"

She had a hand pulling his pained face to look at her. He let the tears fall freely, now. There was no use in hiding. "Don't shut me out… _please_…" She began to cry, as well. He suddenly turned away from her, still waist-deep in the freezing pool. "You don't understand… It would be so much easier if you would just hate me again." This time, as he went to leave, she snatched his wrist and pulled. She never wanted to let go. "Please… If you won't let me go… I'm going to Firebend, and I don't want to hurt you." He was dead serious. She turned on the emotional wreck. "Why _not_? You don't want to _hurt_ me? And yet you want me to _hate_ you? What is your _problem_, anyway?" "I'm sorry." He quickly heated the wrist that the Water Tribe girl was holding captive. She yanked away as he ran back towards camp. She fell to her knees, right there in the water, and cried.

Her eyes fluttered open the next morning. She was back in her room at the Western Air Temple. She suddenly felt eyes on her coming from her left. _Golden_ eyes. He was slouched on the small, wooden stool, elbows on knees, with hands gripping his midnight-black hair. He let his flooding orbs of pure gold meet her sleepy blue gaze. She scowled. "I've been here all night. Well, ever since I brought you back here." She turned, not knowing what to say. "I have to tell you something- Please look at me." She interrupted her scowling to see that those beautiful, fiery orbs had streaks of red from lack of sleep.

"I don't want you to care about me. I'd rather you not care at all than just as a friend…" Her eyes widened. "You're… _serious_…" He kept going, ignoring the comment. "And I think it would be easier for me if you would hate me. With us being friends… There's always that possibility… that _hope_. Every day that hope just brings me to disappointment… but I can't dismiss the fact that there will always be that _chance_ of- of…" He trailed off, lost in her overflowing eyes. "What are you _saying_?" He sighed, and she pointed her glare directly into his beautiful, bloodshot eyes, willing him to speak. "I _love_ you!" He nearly screamed. She was sitting up in her bed now, swinging her legs off the side. He stood and backed away, only to be met by Sokka. "_What_?"

The banished prince threw flaming fists into the wall. "Tell me you never want to see me again." It came as a shaking, desperate whisper. "I can't." He turned to her, tightly gripping her forearms. She was getting a little nervous, and her brother had one hand on his boomerang. Through clenched teeth he growled, "Either tell me you love me of tell me you never want to see my face again." He said it in a low voice, half crazed. "_Well_?" He shook her roughly. "Stop! You're hurting me-!" Sokka tried in vain to pull the salvage off of his baby sister. "And you're hurting _me_! You don't know how long…" He lost himself in her horrified expression. He slowly released her arms. She ran to her brother, fear written all over her perfect face. Suddenly she snapped, grabbing hold of the bit of her element that floated through the air. Sokka's eyes widened as he stepped back. He knew she could handle this on her own.

She sent a powerful blast of liquid at his torso, knocking him out the small window. He stood, taking a stance. She reached for her element in all the places it hid. She found it in the air, the few plants around them, even in _him_. "How could you burn me-?" He remembered the night before. He knew it must have left a mark, still… he saw no such thing on her hand. She shot at him again, and he blocked with a wall of flame. She saw the smirk on his face. Surely he had gone insane… No… He was getting what he needed out of her. She felt a hate for him welling up inside her. He was Firebending again… at _her_. She resorted to Bloodbending, in fear of her safety. What she didn't notice was that he only did what was necessary for self-defense. Their elements, so _completely_ opposite, clashed in a wall of steam.

He threw his hands up, but she held her stance. "You hate me." An eerie smile played on his lips. She gasped, realizing that she _did_ hate him at the moment. Her stance fell instantly and he walked towards his war balloon. One last gaze showed it all. They could have been perfect. They could have balanced. On their own, they weren't whole. Together… _Steam_. Steam was what happened when they collided. It was them together. The steam produced from their Agni Kai drifted through the air, a light breeze teasing the girl with it. It was her element, just… _improved_. It was warm, and could do as it pleased. It could sail on the breezes, of just linger in one spot. It didn't matter. He was gone.

_Dear Fire Lord,_

_ You left a scar on my hand that night we were in the pond. It hurt. I'm sure the pain was nothing compared to what was happening in your mind, though. I just wanted to let you know… The scar is gone. I was able to heal it through my Waterbending. I realized after you left… That's what Waterbending is. People make mistakes, and it hurts the ones they love. It doesn't go away, either. The way I was raised in my village… At first, I couldn't get it to heal. I finally forgave you, though… after all these years… I woke up this morning and it was gone. I thought it would never go away. The scar or the pain. I now know how you felt all those years. I let the past go. I let the pain go. The scar just went with it. I've moved on in my life. For almost an entire year I shut everyone out. I barely spoke a word. Now I've moved on. I haven't forgotten you. I know you're with Mai now, but I want you to know that I'm alright. And, if you decide to come back, I'll be waiting for you._

_ -Hate that I love you,_

_ The Water Peasant_

**Author's Notes… Yay!**

**O.o **** Funnyface.**

**I felt so emo typing this locked away (Literally had my door locked) in my cold, dark (My light's turned off, my blinds are closed, and it's like NEGATIVE 8 DEGREES IN HERE!), red-and-black room wearing black fingernail polish (Attractive!)!**

**I might have cried a lil' bit… Just a little…**

**Anyways, I intended a cheerier ending, but Zuzu just wants to be miserable.**

**He wrote this, not me!**

**And 'Tara wrote the end. She hopes you like it.**

**No, I am NOT a skitzo!**

**I guess they just like being miserable…**

**I hope you understood it okay, but if not…**

**Feel more than free to PM me or leave your questions in a review!**

**Sorry this is so emo, guys!**

**And I decided not to post that poll, by the way. (If you read the ANs on Zutara- Date Day, you know what I mean!)**

**It's not like you lazies vote on my other one, anyways.**

**Um… Comatose songfic (EEP!) will be coming out after I get through the rest of the holiday season.**

**Also, expect a drabbley one-shot soon. (To make up for Date Day being late!)**

**Or another songfic. Not sure yet.**

**I don't mind doing both, but the songfics (Good ones, anyway) take a while for me.**

**The plan right now is to go out with a bang on Zutara Week (ALL HAIL JUN, THE ORIGINAL ZUTARIAN!) and finish up the Comatose songfic.**

**I'll let you know after that!**

**But it looks like I'll be doing that apology one-shot right after the holiday.**

**And then, quite possibly, another songfic.**

**Okay, I'm done now. *Phew!* Promise!**

**Review! (No haters! I don't write for haters!)**


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